Monday, 28th March, 2022

Page 2

Russia targets east Ukraine,

says first phase over

Russia says it will focus

its invasion of Ukraine

on "liberating" the

east, signalling a

possible shift in its

strategy.

The defence ministry said

that the initial aims of the war

were complete, and that Russia

had reduced the combat capacity

of Ukraine.

Russia's invasion appeared

aimed at swiftly capturing major

cities and toppling the government.

But it has stalled in the face of

fierce Ukrainian resistance.

"The main tasks of the first

stage of the operation have been

carried out," said Sergei Rudskoy,

head of the General Staff's main

operations administration.

"The combat capabilities

of the Ukrainian armed forces

have been substantially reduced,

which allows us to concentrate

There have been more

than 70 separate

attacks on hospitals,

ambulances and

doctors in Ukraine

with the number increasing on

a "daily basis", says the World

Health Organization (WHO).

It says the targeting of

healthcare facilities has become

part of the strategy and tactics

of modern warfare.

A recent casualty on 8 March

was the newly refurbished central

hospital in Izyum, south of

Kharkiv.

It was hit by what the

Ukrainian authorities said were

Russian shells.

Video and photos posted online

by the city's deputy mayor

showed extensive damage to the

main hospital building. A new

reception area built last year

was completely destroyed.

The footage has been verified

by the BBC and other media

outlets, although the exact

circumstances of the attack are

impossible to establish at this

time.

"After the first bombing, the

windows of the hospital blew

our main efforts on achieving

the main goal: the liberation

of Donbas," he added, referring

to an area in eastern Ukraine

largely in the hands of Russian-backed

separatists.

Russia's military has been

bombarding and trying to encircle

key Ukrainian cities such as

the capital Kyiv, which Gen Rudskoy

characterised as an attempt

to tie down Ukraine's forces

elsewhere in the country while

Russia focuses on the east.

Ukraine's President, Volodymyr

Zelensky, said his troops

had landed "powerful blows" on

Russia and called on Moscow to

recognise the need for serious

peace talks.

"By restraining Russia's

actions, our defenders are leading

the Russian leadership to a

simple and logical idea: talk is

necessary. Meaningful. Urgent.

Fair. For the sake of the result,

The central hospital in Izyum, near Kharkiv, after what Ukrainian

authorities say was a Russian artillery attack

out," the deputy mayor Volodymyr

Matsokin told the BBC.

A second attack destroyed

the hospital's operating rooms,

he added.

That day hospital staff were

treating children, pregnant

women and three newborn

babies as well as soldiers and civilians

injured in fierce fighting

in the region, according to the

Ukrainian authorities.

They were sheltering in the

basement at the time of the

attack and no-one was killed.

"The government had invested

millions to provide good facilities

with modern equipment,"

said Mr Matsokin.

"Patients had to climb out

of the rubble on their own to

escape."

The BBC has contacted

the Russian embassy in London

about the attack but has

received no response, although

in the past Moscow has denied

deliberately targeting civilians.

Since 24 February, the WHO

has reviewed and verified 72

separate attacks on healthcare

facilities in Ukraine causing at

least 71 deaths and 37 injuries.

DAILY ANALYST Monday, 28th March, 2022

not for the sake of the delay," he

said

Ṫhe exact end goal of Russia's

invasion has not been made

explicit, but President Vladimir

Putin described the aims as the

"demilitarisation" and "denazification"

of Ukraine, characterising

the government's leaders as a

neo-Nazi junta killing millions in

a genocide of Russian speakers.

The claims have no basis and

Ukraine and its Western allies

dismiss them as a pretext to carry

out an unprovoked war.

Russian troops first tried to

encircle the capital Kyiv. But after

bombarding and then seizing

several towns to the northwest

they were forced back by

Ukraine's military, which is now

trying to surround thousands of

Russian soldiers.

In a US assessment on Friday,

a defence official said that Russia

had made no progress in its ad-

Most have damaged hospitals,

medical transports and supply

stores, but the WHO has also recorded

the "probable" abduction

or detention of healthcare staff

and patients.

"We are concerned that this

number is increasing daily," the

WHO's Ukraine country representative

Jarno Habicht told the

BBC.

"Health facilities should be

safe places for both doctors and

nurses, but also patients to turn

to for treatment. This should not

happen."

Because the war in Ukraine is

an international armed conflict

between two states, the Geneva

Conventions apply.

Expanded in the aftermath

of World War Two, the conventions

set out the basic rights of

civilians and military personnel,

and establish protection for the

wounded and sick. They were ratified

by what was then the Soviet

Union in 1954.

Under Article 18 of the

Conventions, civilian hospitals

"may in no circumstances be the

object of attack, but shall at all

times be respected and protected".

A breach of that rule can be

investigated by the International

Criminal Court in the Hague

and, if found to be a war crime,

individual perpetrators can be

prosecuted and punished.

There are though exemptions

to the Conventions.

The protection from attack

is lost if the medical facility is

placed near a legitimate military

target or is thought to be

committing an act "harmful to

the enemy".

According to the International

Committee of the Red Cross

Global News

Russian forces have made gains in the south

and are now looking to control the east

vance on Ukraine's second largest

city Kharkiv, and that Ukraine

could recapture Kherson.

Russia's army has had greater

success in the south, seizing

towns and cities such as Kherson,

and making some gains in the

east

Ṁoscow now claims 93% of

the Donbas region of Luhansk

is under the control of Russian-backed

separatists, with 54%

of the other part of Donbas, Donetsk,

in their hands. More than a

(ICRC), that could include the

use of a hospital as a shield for

healthy fighters or the staging

of a medical unit in a position

which impedes an enemy attack.

Neve Gordon, professor of

international law and human

rights at Queen Mary University

of London, said: "What we have

today, in effect, is a situation

where hospitals and medical

units have become fair game.

"If there are soldiers outside

the hospital or it is simply

next to a train station, it can be

attacked. Or it could be that a

wounded soldier has a cellphone

and is calling other troops and

telling them that there is someone

nearby.

"All these loopholes render it

possible to claim the attack was

legitimate."

The ICRC says that, in theory,

before targeting a hospital

which might be in breach of

those rules, the attacking side

should always give a warning,

with a time limit, and the other

side must have ignored that

warning.

There is no evidence this

has happened in the Ukraine

conflict.

Prof Gordon would like to see

a far stronger blanket ban on

any attack on medical facilities

under international law, similar

to the ban on torture adopted by

the United Nations which came

into force in 1987.

From Vietnam to Syria

Exemptions to the Geneva

Conventions have been used to

justify attacks on hospitals and

medical units in post-World War

Two conflicts from Korea and

Vietnam onwards.

The trend though appears to

be accelerating rapidly, driven in

third of the entire area was under

separatist control before the war

began.

Andriy Yermak, chief of staff

to Ukraine's President Zelensky,

cautioned against the suggestion

that Russia had abandoned plans

to seize the rest of Ukraine. "It's a

big danger before war is finished

to make a public prognosis,

especially when you are fighting

against one of the biggest armies

in the world," Mr Yermak told the

Financial Times.

Ukraine war: WHO says attacks on

health facilities are rising daily

part by the use of ballistic missiles,

drones, and other longer

range munitions.

The US advocacy group Physicians

for Human Rights claims

that Russian or local forces

have been linked to at least 244

separate attacks on healthcare

facilities in Syria since 2011.

At one point, the charity

Médecins Sans Frontières

even made the decision to stop

sharing the GPS co-ordinates of

some health clinics it operated

with the Syrian government or

its Russian allies, amid concerns

they were more likely to become

direct targets as a result.

Russian officials denied deliberately

attacking hospitals in

Syria and suggested "jihadists"

in the country were routinely

sheltering in protected civilian

buildings.

The WHO is concerned that

all this means attacks on medical

facilities are fast becoming

part of the wider "strategy and

tactics" of modern warfare, regardless

of the Geneva Conventions

rules.

Destroying health facilities,

it warned, "is about the destruction

of hope" and the denial of

basic human rights.

"We've never seen globally...

this rate of attacks on healthcare,"

its emergencies director

Michael Ryan told a news conference

this week.

"This crisis is reaching a

point where the health system

in Ukraine is teetering on the

brink.

"It needs to be supported…

but how can you do that if the

very infrastructure that those

people will go in to support is

under direct attack?"

DAILY ANALYST

Monday, 28th March, 2022 Page 3

The Vice President, Dr

Mahamudu Bawumia,

has spread the first

shovel of sand to signal

the beginning of construction

works on 145 different

roads for a total of 100km of urban

roads across six Metropolitan

areas and Municipalities under

the Kumasi City Inner Roads

project in the Ashanti Region.

Districts to benefit from this

project, to be completed in 30

months, include the Asokwa,

Kwadaso, Oforikrom, New Tafo,

Suame, Mampong and Effiduase.

Manhyia, Bantama, Nhyiaeso and

Subin, all sub–metros within the

Kumasi Metro, would also benefit

from this project.

Construction of the Kumasi

Inner City roads is part of the

Sinohydro Master Project Support

Agreement (MPSA), signed in

2018 between the Government of

Ghana and the Peoples Republic

of China, through Sinohydro

Construction to address the

severe infrastructure deficit in

the country. Under Phase 1 of the

Agreement, a total of 441km of

roads and two interchanges are

to be constructed in Lots.

The new road works complement

ongoing construction

being undertaken in Kumasi by

Contracta UK, captured under

the Rehabilitation and Auxiliary

Infrastructure of Kumasi Inner

Ring Road and Adjacent Streets –

Phase 1, for which sod was cut in

Meter shortage hits

Accra West ECG

Reports reaching DAILY

Analyst indicate that

the Accra West Region

of the Electricity Company

of Ghana (ECG) is

seriously plagued by a shortage of

prepaid meters.

The paper understands that

the situation is as a result of a

growing demand for metres,

especially by metre applicants in

developing and emerging communities

within Accra.

Some of these communities

include Manhean, Joma, and

Oduman in the Ga West Municipality,

and Avornyor Danchira

and Obom Domeabra all in the Ga

South Municipality.

According to scores of metre

applicants in Manhean in the Ga

West Municipality in the Greater

Accra Region, their metres have

delayed for several months even

though they have paid all charges

at Ablekuma District Office of

ECG at Fan Milk.

A frustrated and livid Bernard

Adjei, an applicant, vented his

spleen on ECG staff members at

the company’s Ablekuma office.

“Anytime I go to the office

to enquire about when they will

be coming to fix my metre, they

have a different story to tell me.

It was until this week after pressing

them that they told me about

the shortage of metres!” Mr. Adjei

lamented.

Another applicant at Joma,

Edward Mensah, who has applied

for a three-phase metre at the

Ablekuma District Office, lashed

out at ECG staff members.

and will be commissioned by

the end of the second quarter,

according to the contractor.

Speaking at a short but

colourful ceremony at Kwadaso

on Friday, March 25, 2022 Vice

President Bawumia recalled the

skepticism that accompanied

his trip to China and the eventual

signing of the Sinohydro Master

Project Support Agreement

and reiterated Government’s

continued focus on upgrading

the country’s infrastructure.

“As usual, the critics said the

Sinohydro Agreement would

never see the light of day. But

Frontpage Stories

Bawumia cuts sod for construction

of 100km Kumasi Inner City Roads

He described them as “a

bunch of liars,” who were always

telling him different narratives.

At the Ablekuma District

Office, DAILY Analyst learned

that customers who had successfully

applied for metres and paid

all the necessary charges were

being told almost on a daily basis

that there were no metres in the

system.

DAILY Analyst gathered that

the development has left many

prospective consumers frustrated

with some resorting to panic-buying.

Further compounding matters

are so-called middlemen

who are taking advantage of the

situation to exploit unsuspecting

metre applicants in dire need of

metres.

Investigations by DAILY Analyst

revealed that these middlemen

were selling a single-phase

metre for GHC800, twice the

price sold by the ECG which is

GHC400.

For a three-phase metre, applicants

were buying it from the

middlemen at GHC2000, although

ECG was selling it at GHC800.

Another issue that came up in

our investigations was the issue

of illegal connection which is

high.

DAILY Analyst discovered

because of the delays in fixing

new metres of successful applicants,

an illegal connection has

become a norm and high in many

of these developing communities

in Accra.

Lands Commission addressing bottlenecks

hampering effective land management

Story: Freeman

Koryekpor Awlesu

The Acting Executive

Secretary of Lands Commission,

Mr. James Kobina

Dadson, has stated

that administrative

measures had been put in place

to address bottlenecks hampering

effective land administration and

management in the country.

He said part of the measures

being taken include decentralization,

digitalization, staff

capacity building, infrastructure

development, and adoption of

best practices such as operationalization

of site-plan and addressing

challenges regarding land

compensations.

The Executive Secretary was

speaking at a closing ceremony

of a five-day management retreat

in Accra organized by the Lands

Commission under the theme:

“Achieving Institutional Excel-

2019. That project is 96% complete today we are all witnesses to ongoing

works across the country, “Others are the upgrading of

Berekum Inner City Roads.

including many in the Ashanti selected Feeder roads in Ashanti

region. These projects have been and Western Regions, which has

programmed to commence in been substantially completed

phases and, today, we are witnessing

the turn of the Kumasi “These projects, which are

and commissioned.

Inner City roads,” he explained. financed and executed under this

Ashanti Region roads

Sinohydro Agreement, will go a

Other road projects being long way in enhancing intra-urban,

regional and national traffic

undertaken within Kumasi, as

well as the Ashanti Region, include

the completion of asphalt regional economic integration

flows. It would also strengthen

overlay of 227 km of roads in through trade and reduce the

Kumasi and the Ashanti Region; cost of doing business in our dear

the Kumasi Roads and Drainage

Extension Project, which

“These and other several

nation, Ghana.

includes the upgrading of the infrastructure development activities

such as the construction,

Lake Road into a dual carriageway

and the lining of the Sissai rehabilitation, reconstruction,

Stream for 2km.

and upgrading of roads as well

The reconstruction of the as bridges and interchanges,

30km Anwiankwanta-Obuasi undertaken by this Government,

Road is 85% complete while also highlights the vision of His

the upgrading of the Dompoase-Aputuogya

Road is 80% dressing the road infrastructure

Excellency the President in ad-

complete, the Vice President needs of our country.”

disclosed.

The Minister for Roads and

“In addition to the Kumasi Highways, Hon Kwasi Amoako

Inner City Roads, other projects Atta, assured persons who might

under Phase 1 of the MPSA that be affected by the construction

are at various stages of completion

include Construction of the for their loss.

works of adequate compensation

PTC Interchange in Takoradi,

Commissioning of Sinohydro

which is the first interchange Lot 8 projects

in the western parts of our country;

and upgrading of selected Vice President Bawumia has

In a related development,

urban roads in Sunyani and commissioned a number of comlence

Land Services Delivery

Through Modern Technology,

Human Resource Development,

and Private Participation.”

Mr. Dadson expected that the

outcomes of these reforms would

result in a total transformation

of land service delivery by the

Commission.

“Initially, we were talking

about digitalization as the government's

main focus but we have

gone beyond that. We are looking

at total reform of our sector and

digitalization is key. We have

operated in a typically manual

environment, and we are migrating

our records from manual to

digital”

According to him, land can

be registered in the same region

where it was acquired, adding

that by the next 12 months, the

Commission’s district office in

Tema will be fully operational.

He added that the chiefs and

traditional authorities manage

over 80 percent of all lands in the

pleted roads and projects within

the Nyinahin Bauxite Enclave

captured as Upgrading of Selected

Feeder Roads in the Ashanti

and Western Regions under Lot 8

of the Sinohydro Master Project

Support Agreement (MPSA) at

Nyinahin in the Ashanti Region.

The completion of the project,

three months ahead of the

planned 30 months, has improved

accessibility within the

Atwima Mponua District of the

Ashanti region and Anansu in

the Western North Region, and

forms part of preparatory works

for the massive revival of bauxite

mining in the enclave.

Vice President Bawumia

indicated that other projects

under the various Lots, such as

the Tamale Interchange (Lot 3),

Upgrading of Selected Roads in

Western region and Cape Coast

(Lot 7), and Rehabilitation of the

Hohoe-Jasikan-Dodo-Pepesu

Road, all part of the Eastern Corridor

Road Network (Lot 10) have

reached advanced levels and will

be commissioned by the second

quarter of 2022.

Vice President Bawumia

conveyed the appreciation of the

government and people of Ghana

to the government of the People’s

Republic of China for their continued

support to Ghana’s infrastructure

development efforts.

country, but “we are only doing

the registration on their behalf”

he said.

The Executive Secretary added

that every region has a commission

and the board has a representative

of the Regional House

of Chiefs who reports and sends

feedback to the chiefs.

James Kobina Dadson

Page 4


Have faith; economic

respite coming soon

– Bawumia’s Technical Advisor

Technical Advisor at the Office of the Vice President,

Dr. Kabiru Mahama says government admits the

huge impact of the economic shocks currently facing

the country.

According to him, “government understands the

problem” and is taking bold steps to remedy the situation.

The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, on Thursday, announced

a number of specific measures, the government will

be implementing to put the ailing economy back on track.

Many have, however, questioned the feasibility of the expenditure

cutting interventions.

But speaking on The Big Issue, Dr. Kabiru Mahama appealed

to Ghanaians not to lose sight of the government’s

efforts thus far.

“What is government doing to ameliorate the situation?

Government has understood the problem. We all know the

problem, and government has been clear to communicate the

problem to all of us. The question is, do we have faith in all

the measures that have been put in place by the government?

That is the question that needs an answer. I think we need to

have faith in these measures. The Finance Minister signalled

that, in the mid-year budget review he will tell us how these

measures have yielded results, if they do not, we will review

them.”

Ghana’s public debt level has attained an unsustainable

level amidst rising inflation and rising cost of fuel products.

Among other things, government has reduced salaries of

executive appointees by up to 30%. It is also pumping US$ 2

billion into the economy to stabilise the cedi’s depreciation.

These measures according to Dr. Kabiru Mahama, must be

embraced.

He is optimistic, if rolled out, they will tackle the many

challenges confronting the country and restore economic

growth.

“Government is addressing the fundamental issues. The

Finance Minister’s statement reiterated that since the start

of this government, it has been consistent with its position

of moving this economy away from a commodity-dependent

economy to more of an industrialized economy. That will

make our economy resilient. Shocks will always be there, but

the respite people want to see will be there if we have a stronger

economy.”

“The government will continue with its projects and bring

more investors. All these are not just for the fun of it but they

are supposed to lay the foundation for the development of this

country to ensure that at least, jobs are created for a strong

export advantage so the currency will have some stability.”

Measures not far reaching

Economist, Professor Lord Mensah says government’s

latest expenditure-cutting measures will amount to zilch

because Ghana lacks self-discipline to yield the anticipated

results in reversing the economic downturn.

He simply puts it as that, the country will be better off returning

to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) rather than

pushing through what he feels are the unmeasurable steps

taken by the government.

Professor Lord Mensah argued that the government’s

expectations would be difficult to meet, as it would even have

little bearing on savings.

He believes Ghana’s history with the management of the

economy is proof the government is on the wrong path in

ensuring effective implementation of these measures.

“With these self-discipline measures that we are trying to

put across, we have done it before, so we don’t go to the IMF

again, but we never followed through, so what shows that this

time around, we are going to follow them? I don’t think things

will work. If we were to go IMF, I will say the benefits would

have been better compared to disciplining ourselves. With the

IMF, we would have had that discipline being enforced by the

IMF itself”, he said on the same show.

Ghana’s land and sea

borders officially reopen

today following

a directive by President

Nana Akufo Addo

yesterday.

Addressing the nation yesterday

on measures being taken to

combat covid-19, the president

said all land and sea borders will

be opened today adding that

Fully vaccinated travellers will

be allowed entry through the

land and sea borders without a

negative PCR test result from

the country of origin.

“As from tomorrow, Monday,

28th March, all land and sea

borders will be opened. Fully

vaccinated travellers will be

allowed entry through the land

and sea borders without a negative

PCR test result from the

country of origin. Citizens and

foreign residents in Ghana, who

are not fully vaccinated, will

have to produce a negative 48-

hour PCR test result, and will be

offered vaccination on arrival.”

the president said .

The president noted that it

has been a difficult two (2) years

for the country adding “and we

are seeing light at the end of a

very long tunnel. I appeal to all

of us to live responsibly, protect

ourselves at all times, and do

everything we can to stay safe,

as we lift these restrictions. Now

is the time for all of us to join

hands, work hard, and help put

our nation back onto the path

of progress and prosperity, as

we resume full production and

increase productivity”

“As your President, I assure

you that, sooner rather than

later, our economy will rebound

from the ravages of COVID-19.

The policies we are implementing

will, with your active

support, help grow the economy

at a much faster rate, help create

jobs for the youth, and help us

overcome the difficulties we are

faced with. This too shall pass!!

For the Battle is still the Lord’s!!”

The Deputy Minister in

charge of Mines at the

Ministry of Lands and

Natural Resource, Mr

George Mireku Duker

says his ministry and the government

will go all out to support

the management of Electrochem

Ghana Limited to develop the

Songor salt concession in the

Greater Accra Region to produce

and export quality salt from

Ghana.

He said, “… the minister, Hon.

Samuel Abu Jinapor, communicated

to me that the ministry

would support the Electrochem

project for us to win together, it

is actually a win-win for all of us.

A win for Electrochem Ghana

is a win for the Ada traditional

area and Ghana as a whole…”

Mr. Duker made this revelation

on Friday, March 24, 2022,

during a familiarization tour of

Electrochem Ghana’s site at Sege

in the Ada West District of the

Greater Accra region.

He said: 'We are glad that

Eletrochem Ghana is producing

and exporting salt from this

Land, Sea borders

open today

he said.

He further explained

that the establishment of the

COVID-19 testing infrastructure

at the Kotoka International

Airport by Frontier Healthcare

Services Ltd, at its own cost, has

been “key to our ability to limit

successfully the importation of

the virus into Ghana through

the airport. The efficacy of the

testing regime at KIA has won

global admiration and has been

applauded by all those who have

undergone its testing. It has

been one of the reasons why

Ghana was not at the receiving

end of several of the travel

bans imposed by the West at

the height of the pandemic, for

which many African countries

were affected”

President Akufo Addo

announced that from today,

Monday 28th March, the wearing

of facemasks is no longer mandatory.

“I encourage all of you,

though, to continue to maintain

country.

This will directly impact the

economy positively. "If you want

to really check the dollar control

in this country, one of the

measures is to export to other

jurisdictions for us to have value,

the ministry is happy Electrochem

Ghana is adding value to

our salt and other countries that

are demanding it from Ghana,”

he added.

In his address, Chairman of

the McDan Group of companies,

Dr. Daniel McKorley, stressed the

importance Electrochem Ghana

places on its social investment

initiatives.

He said “We are here to bring

change, this project can never be

successful without the community,

so for me, the community is

very important.

That is why we are placing

so much importance on our CSR

initiatives and the impact we

are making in the lives of the

people.”

Nene Lomo IV, Divisional

Chief (Wetso Yi) of the Lomobiawe

Clan of Ada who spoke on

President Nana Akufo-Addo

enhanced hand hygiene practices,

and avoid overcrowded

gatherings,” he said

“ All in-person activities,

such as those that take place in

churches, mosques, conferences,

workshops, private parties and

events, cinemas, and theatres

may resume at full capacity,

as long as the audience and/or

participants are fully vaccinated.

Hand washing and hand sanitising

points should be made

available at these venues.

“ Outdoor functions at sporting

events, entertainment spots,

political rallies and funerals may

resume at full capacity, again,

as long as all persons at these

events are fully vaccinated.

“From tomorrow, Monday,

28th March, fully vaccinated

travellers into Ghana will not

take PCR tests from the country

of embarkation to allow them

entry into the country through

the KIA, and will not be tested

on arrival,” the president added.

Songor salt: Govt will support Electrochem

to meet expectations - Mireku Duker

behalf of the Ada paramountcy

said the whole Electrochem project

started at the Ada Traditional

council.

“We the chiefs realized that

there were no factories and jobs

in Ada. So we led the investor who

actually had the lease from the

government and we are happy

about the benefit that has come

in so far,” he added.

Source: classfmonline.com

George Mireku Duker

DAILY ANALYST


Perspective

Road Accidents – A Simple

Solution To The Problem

Road accident has

been a pain in our

neck in Ghana. Recently,

the president

described it as global

pandemic requiring broader

efforts to end the menace. On

record, road clashes are the

first highest mortality rate in

the country claiming several

thousands of deaths annually.

Globalizing the problem as the

President did in his statement

to the public raises the level of

urgency with which to act in

addressing the problem however,

it is important to note

that, deliberate national policies

and programmes are what will

enable us to bring the problem

to the barest minimum if not

end it.

Since the president sort to

globalize the phenomenon, it is

right to provide the global statics

on the phenomenon in this

article and proceed to suggest

strategist that will help resolve

the problem in our country.

According to the World

Health Organization (WHO), approximately

1.3 million people

die each year as a result of road

traffic crashes. Out of this, the

United Nations General Assembly

has set a target of halving

the global number of deaths and

injuries from road traffic crashes

by 2030 according to the UN

Resolution (A/RES/74/299). Economically,

road traffic crashes

cost most countries 3% of their

gross domestic product. Unfortunately,

the WHO reports that

more than half of all road traffic

deaths are among vulnerable

road users. These are: pedestrians,

cyclists, and motorcyclists.

It is also estimated that

about 93% of the world's fatalities

on the roads occur in lowand

middle-income countries,

even though these countries

have approximately 60% of the

world's vehicles and road traffic

injuries are the leading cause

of death for children and young

adults aged 5-29 years.

The above data informs us

that an urgent action is needed

in our country to deal with the

problem because, when the data

is disaggregated, the revelations

in Ghana are not encouraging

which is a threat to national

security and public safety.

The Risk Factors

It is not as if we are oblivious

of the risk factors of road crashes

in the country. In fact, there

has been several workshops,

symposia and a lot of literature

explaining the risk factors to

the problem. Actually, these risk

factors are not hidden to us and

they are very visible everywhere

you go. The problem has been

our inability to have courage to

implement mechanisms and

programmes to tackle those risk

factors. Below are some of these

major risk factors requiring action

to address the problem.

Speeding: It is evidenced

that an increase in average

speed is directly related both

to the likelihood of a crash occurring

and to the severity of

the consequences of the crash.

For instance, every 1% increase

in mean speed produces a 4%

increase in the fatal crash risk

and a 3% increase in the serious

crash risk. Again, the death

risk for pedestrians hit by car

fronts rises rapidly (4.5 times

from 50 km/h to 65 km/h). More

revealing, in car-to-car side

impacts the fatality risk for car

occupants is also 85% at 65 km/h.

This kind of risk factor can be

eliminated by the introduction

of speed limitation devices

and speed control measures in

vehicles so that, no person is allowed

to drive beyond a certain

limit of speed.

Driving under the influence

of alcohol and other psychoactive

substances: Another risk

factor is, driving under the influence

of alcohol and any psychoactive

substance or drugs. This

increases the risk of a crash that

results in death or serious injuries.

It is evidenced that in the

case of drink-driving, the risk of

a road traffic crash starts at low

levels of blood alcohol concentration

(BAC) and increases

significantly when the driver's

BAC is ≥ 0.04 g/dl. Again, in the

case of drug-driving, the risk of

incurring a road traffic crash is

increased to differing degrees

depending on the psychoactive

drug used. For example, the risk

of a fatal crash occurring among

those who have used amphetamines

is about 5 times the risk

of someone who hasn't according

to the WHO.

Distracted driving: There are

many types of distractions that

can lead to impaired driving. The

distraction caused by mobile

phones is a growing concern for

road safety. It has been estimated

that drivers using mobile

phones are approximately 4

times more likely to be involved

in a crash than drivers not using

a mobile phone. Using a phone

while driving slows reaction

times (notably braking reaction

time, but also reaction to traffic

signals), and makes it difficult

to keep in the correct lane, and

to keep the correct following

distances. Note that hands-free

phones are equally not much

safer than hand-held phone

sets, and texting considerably

increases the risk of a crash.

Unsafe road infrastructure:

The most worrying risk factor

is unsafe roads. The design of

roads has a considerable impact

on their safety. Ideally, roads

should be designed keeping in

mind the safety of all road users.

This would mean making sure

that there are adequate facilities

for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.

Other measures such

as footpaths, cycling lanes, safe

crossing points, and other traffic

calming measures are very

much critical to reducing the

risk of injury among these road

users. It is observed that most

of the roads in the country are

designed poorly and are unsafe

for road users. We require standardized

roads that are designed

with the safety of users in mind.

Unsafe vehicles: Having safe

vehicles, play a critical role in

averting crashes and reducing

the likelihood of serious injury.

The UN has a plethora of regulations

on vehicle safety that, if

applied in the country, would

potentially save many lives.

These include requiring vehicle

manufacturers to meet front

and side impact regulations, to

include electronic stability control

(to prevent over-steering)

and to ensure airbags and seatbelts

are fitted in all vehicles.

Without these basic standards

the risk of traffic injuries – both

to those in the vehicle and those

out of it – is considerably increased.

Therefore, it is a worry

when the Driver and Vehicle

Licensing Authority ignore all

these standards and go ahead to

issue road worthy certificates to

many the vehicles on our roads.

Recently, the DVLA revealed

that about 90% of vehicles on

our roads are indeed not worthy.

That calls for an action to

remove them off the roads to

make the system safer for all.

Inadequate post-crash care:

Unfortunately, anytime there

is road crash, it is mostly not

detected early. Delays in detecting

and providing care for those

involved in a road traffic crash

increase the severity of injuries.

Care of injuries after a crash has

occurred is extremely timesensitive:

delays of minutes can

make the difference between

life and death. We need to improve

post-crash care to ensure

access to timely pre-hospital

care, and improving the quality

of both hospital and hospital

care, such as through specialist

training programmes. This is

more reason why the National

Ambulance Service is a time

tested system to help in this

regard as well as other institutions

such as the police response,

fire response and other

road safety responses.

Inadequate law enforcement

of traffic laws: Road traffic laws

are very important to address

the problem of road crashes. If

traffic laws on drink-driving,

seat-belt wearing, speed limits,

helmets, and child restraints

are not enforced, they cannot

bring about the expected reduction

in road traffic fatalities

and injuries related to specific

behaviours. Even though these

laws exist, enforcement has

been a major concern by the institutions

mandated to ensure

compliance. Thus, if traffic laws

are not enforced or are perceived

as not being enforced it is likely

they will not be complied with

and therefore will have very

little chance of influencing

behaviour. It is important to

note that effective enforcement

includes establishing, regularly

updating, and enforcing laws

at the national, municipal, and

local levels that address the

above mentioned risk factors. It

includes also the definition of

appropriate penalties and applying

them.

Nonuse of motorcycle

helmets, seat-belts, and child

restraints: Using the correct helmet

can lead to a 42% reduction

in the risk of fatal injuries and a

69% reduction in the risk of head

injuries. Wearing a seat-belt

reduces the risk of death among

drivers and front seat occupants

by 45 - 50%, and the risk of death

and serious injuries among rear

seat occupants by 25%. The use

of child restraints can lead to a

60% reduction in deaths.

Remedy

In finding remedy to the

problem confronting us as a nation,

we need to adopt the Safe

System approach to road safety.

This approach aims to ensure

a safe transport system for all

road users. It is an approach

recognized by the WHO. It takes

into account people’s vulnerability

to serious injuries in road

traffic crashes and also, the system

is designed to be forgiving

of human errors. The main focus

of this approach is: Safe Roads

and Roadsides, Safe Speeds, Safe

Vehicles, and Safe Road Users.

Until our efforts are directed at

addressing all of these the nation

will not be able to eliminate

fatal crashes and reduce serious

injuries.

In conclusion, institutions

such as Ministry of Roads and

Transport, the Motor Traffic and

Transport Department (MTTD)

of the Ghana Police Service,

Driver and Vehicle Licensing

Authority (DVLA), National

Road Safety Authority (NRSA),

National Ambulance Services

(NAS), Driver Unions and other

ancillary institutions have to

work in collaboration to ensure

measures are taken to eliminate

these risk factors listed above to

address the phenomenon of road

accidents and it associated fatalities.

These institutions have

to set targets and timelines as to

how they want to work to reduce

road accidents in the country

to reduce the socio-economic

impacts of the phenomenon.

By: Emmanuel Felix Mantey

Security & Conflict Management

Bureau

emmanuelfelixmantey@

gmail.com

0243560186

Page 6


Corruption grows

in periods of crisis

– Ghana Integrity Initiative

Mary Awelana Addah, GII Programmes Manager

Various risk

assessments

undertaken

on COVID-19

interventions globally,

by Transparency International

and many development partners

have pointed to the fact that the

pandemic has a disastrous effect

on anti-corruption efforts.

According to the Ghana

Integrity Initiative (GII),

Governments in attempts

to curtail the spread of the

pandemic took drastic decisions

on life-saving measures, as a

result, overlooking laid down

principles, rules, and regulations

Mrs Karen

Evans Halm,

the Principal

Architect and

Chief Operating

Officer of Spektra Global has

urged the youth to start their

careers with the end in mind.

“The youth should know

where they will like to see

themselves in the future before

they venture into their various

fields or careers,” Mrs Halm said.

Mrs Halm who was speaking

at a workshop organized by

Spektra Global, as part of the

2022 International Women’s

Day celebration, attended by

students mainly from the

Central University, Department

of Architecture encouraged the

students to develop the “bold,

confidence and ability to explore

spirit.”

She urged the students to

marry Architecture, which is

the art of planning, designing,

and constructing into their

daily lives; “you all could excel

in any field of study. Stand up to

societal pressure.”

She also advised young

women or girls who want to

become professionals to produce

personal development plans

towards the achievement of that

dream.

She said: “Success does

not come by chance, it comes

through a well-thought-out

plan back by commitment and

discipline to follow it.”

Mrs. Halm also advised young

men not to marry with the

intention of making their wives

– nannies or babysitters but

should understand that women

also have their own career plans

of procurement, such as verifying

suppliers or determining fair

prices.

“It is in that regard that it

became critical to interrogate the

resilience of the various policy

measures the Government of

Ghana has initiated to alleviate

the impact of COVID-19 on the

nation, in order to integrate anticorruption

measures in COVID-19

recovery efforts,” Mrs Mary

Awelana Addah, GII Programmes

Manager, has stated.

Mrs Addah, who presented

the recommendations during

the launch of the GII Corruption

Risk Assessment (CRA) explained

that it was against this

background that GII conducted

the corruption risk assessment to

evaluate the risk of corruption in

the government’s interventions.

The assessment was also to

identify the systems in place to

mitigate the risks of corruption

and gaps that exist in the

systems as well as best practices

with the view to making

proactive recommendations for

corrective actions and to guide

future Government response in

similar situations.

According to the GII

assessment, the government

has been transparent and

disseminated information

through weekly press

conferences and presentation

of appropriation accounts to

Parliament, creating the illusion

of citizen involvement, but real

decision-making regarding

Stand up to societal pressure

– Ghanaian Youth urged

which should not be sacrificed

due to marriage.

Couples must help each

other to achieve professional

dreams, marriage must not be

the burial grounds for anyone’s

professional dreams, especially

women, it is an error for a

woman to burry a career path

due to marriage, she said.

She again urged the youth

to be inspired and also follow

their passion but also seek

more career advice and attend

educational workshops as well.

On the relevance of the

workshop, Mrs Halm said it was

necessary to equip upcoming

youth especially young women

to help them on how to start on

their careers.

“It is important for students

to constantly interact with

Karen Evans Halm

professionals in their field of

study,” Mrs Halm emphasised.

Mr Frankly Kobina Enos, a

student at Central University,

said he was scared about the

field of architecture but is

optimistic as he has been

exposed to the industry.

Ms Allison Antiaye, a female

student said she was inspired

into architecture, which was

classified as a male-dominated

field by leading women who also

excelled in there.

Mr Jonathan Nerquaye-

Tetteh lecturer at the

Department of Architecture

from Central University

commended the organizers of

the workshop which exposed the

students to people in the field

as well as to gather practical

experience seasoned architects.

procurement contracts has been

opaque.

Mrs Addah explained that

the overall governance risk

is medium, with a high risk

in integrity mechanisms,

indicating that rules, regulations

and standards have not been

adequately complied with.

She said the assessment

raises red flags in the areas of

integrity, accountability, and

participation.

“Problems are mainly related

to issues of accountability,

the application of rules and

procedures, and low levels of

participation of independent

governance and accountability

institutions and beneficiaries in

decision-making around public

procurement.

“High-risk areas are

predominantly around the

procurement of goods and

services for the various

interventions,” she said.

The GII Programme Manager

said the assessment also

uncovered the risk of corruption

in the relations between the

Central Government (which

seems to have awarded all

contracts) and suppliers who

The Odumase District

Police Command of the

Ghana Police Service

in the Eastern Region

on Friday arrested 17

suspected criminals at different

ghettos in various suburbs of the

District.

The swoop was undertaken

at Odumase and Atua by the

security agency during the day

as part of efforts to clamp down

on illegal activities in the area.

This comes amid a growing

sense of insecurity as residents

complain of petty criminal

activities in the area.

In all, seventeen suspects

including three females were

arrested Friday and detained

in police custody. Substances

suspected to be Indian hemp

were found in their possession

in the course of the raid.

Explaining the reasons

behind the swoop, Odumase

District Police Commander, Supt

Doris Akua Grant told GhanaWeb

that the operation was aimed at

cracking down on and ridding

the communities of substance

abuse and the proliferation of

ghettoes.

“We realized how the youth

in the community are taking to

drugs especially the smoking of

weed and then petty stealing in

the community and also we had

information about the upsurge

in ghettos in the communities,”

said the Commander.

were mainly sole-sourced.

“This risk derives from

the absence of appropriate

mechanisms to regulate

these relations or the failure

to consistently apply such

mechanisms where they exist,”

she said.

Mrs Linda Ofori-Kwafo, GII

Executive Director acknowledged

the support of the Centre

for International Private

Enterprise (CIPE) particularly

Ms. Carmen Stanila, who is

a Senior Consultant at CIPE,

who supported GII during the

implementation of the project.

Ms Stanila also made

commendation to GII for

the work and hoped the

recommendations would be

considered for implementation to

serve as a best practice in similar

situations.

The Corruption Risk

Assessment report on the

government’s COVID-19

interventions was launched by

GII captured views of over 3000

respondents including citizens

who were also beneficiaries of

the covid-19 interventions, public

stakeholders, and the private

business.

Odumase police raid

notorious ghettos, 17 arrested

She furthered that similar

operations would be carried out

periodically until the overall

objective of the police service

is achieved. Supt. Grant said,

“We’re not going to stop, we’ll

do the swoops regularly so that

all these things will stop in the

communities.”

The operation did not go

without stiff resistance from the

youth as some of them resisted

arrest and pelted stones at the

police.

Nevertheless, the police

commander said such incidents

would not stop the police from

going about their duties.

She said statements would

be taken from the suspects after

which they would be screened.

Supt Doris Akua Grant

however described the general

security situation in the district

as calm.

DAILY ANALYST


We Must Protect Groundwater From

Pollution – University Lecturer

Dr Rauf Alhassan,

a lecturer at the

University of

Environment

and Sustainable

Development’s (UESD)

Department of Water Resources

water for competing economic

activities such as agriculture,

mining, and construction were

threatening the continuous

availability and accessibility of

water on earth.

“Water scarcity is a global

issue; as a result, water must be

used responsibly,” he said.

Dr Alhassan told the Ghana

News Agency that groundwater,

fed springs, rivers, lakes, and

wetlands, as well as seeped into

oceans were primarily recharged

by rain and snowfall infiltrating

the ground.

He said groundwater

resources in Ghana were

made up of three geological

formations: the basement

complex (metamorphic rocks

and crystalline igneous), the

consolidated sedimentary

formations, and the Cenozoic

and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks.

Groundwater was an

important water resource

Employ technology to increase access

to medical training - Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo

Dankwa Akufo-Addo on

Friday, March 25, 2022

urged the University of

Ghana Medical School

(UGMS) to leverage available

technology to increase access

to medical education in the

country.

He said the technology

offered better ways through

which medical students and

all other students across the

nation could be educated, and

it was time to keep up with a

technological change to prepare

healthcare workers to deliver the

digital future.

"Virtual reality in addition

to other digital transformation

products provides the space for

the innovative ideas we need

to adopt in the training of our

medical students."

"It is time to deliberate on

how best we can use technology

to reach out to students across

the country so that we do not

have to bring all of them to Accra

or the few medical schools we

have in the country to impart

knowledge to them,” he said

when speaking at the 60thanniversary

lecture of the UGMS

at Legon, near Accra.

The lecture was on the

theme: “Building on 60 years of

quality medical education: The

role of technology.”

President Akufo-Addo

noted that virtual reality was

increasingly becoming popular

in the training of medical

professionals because it allowed

for medical professional

skills education, assessment,

standardization and knowledge

sharing for better health care

infrastructure.

"The adoption of these

technologies will require a

and Sustainable Development,

has stressed on the importance

of water to humanity’s longterm

survival.

According to him, climate

change, rapid population growth,

urbanisation, and exploitation of

fundamental rethink of how

we deliver medical education…

We need to take a second look

at the curriculum of medical

education in view of the digital

revolution," he said.

“I thus encourage the

Ministries of Education and

Health to work together to

leverage on technology to

increase access to the many

students who hitherto, have

been denied the opportunity to

follow their passion of studying

medicine because of insufficient

facilities and faculty," he added.

President Akufo-Addo

also appealed to doctors to

accept posting to the districts

and regions to address the

doctor-dentist population

ratio challenge and to ensure

universal health care for

Ghanaians.

He described as

unsatisfactory the current

situation where the country did

not have the right number of

doctors, dentists and healthcare

professionals with the right mix

of skills and expertise in the

regions, districts and deprived

communities.

Thus, doctors in Ghana

should follow the example of

their forebears such as Doctors

Charles Odamtten Easmon and

Evans Anfom, among others

who accepted postings to all

parts of the country to offer their

services to the deprived.

“They did so because they

believed that the hypocritic

oath they took imposed a duty

on them to offer their services,

especially, to the neediest…It

was their work that helped build

our national health system for

which we are all benefitting."

"I am therefore appealing

to you as passionately as I can,

to accept postings to accredited

regional and districts hospitals

where your services are needed

most," he said.

Dr Anarfi Asamoa-Baah, the

Coordinator of the National

COVID-19 Taskforce, who

delivered the anniversary

lecture emphasised that medical

training is needed to keep up

with technology.

He said while it was hard to

predict the future, technology,

however, would have a

significant impact on improving

efficiency and precision in

healthcare, and urged the

UGMS to “reboot and revitalize”

medical training by adopting

technology that would enhance

the training of doctors.

President Nana Akufo-Addo

in Ghana, contributing

significantly to the country’s

growing water demand.

Ghana’s rural water

supply was primarily derived

from groundwater and over

10,000 boreholes were located

throughout the country,

supplying water to both rural

and urban households.

As a result, Dr Alhassan

said groundwater had a huge

potential to contribute to the

country’s water demand.

“Except for isolated cases of

pollution and areas with high

levels of iron, fluoride, and other

minerals, Ghana’s groundwater

quality is generally good,” he

added.

“Salinity in certain

groundwater occurrences is

also found especially in some

coastal aquifers. Nonetheless,

this cannot be taken for granted,

more efforts need to be made

to protect groundwater from

overexploitation and pollution,”

he said.

Mobile money vendor

shot by an assailant at

Chagbalyire in Sawla

A

mobile money vendor

identified only as

Razak believed to be

in his 30s, has been

shot by an assailant

at Chagbalyire a suburb of Sawla

in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District

of the Savannah Region.

The incident which

happened Saturday, March 26

around 8:00 pm has thrown the

town into a state of fear.

The victim was shot in

the face by the assailant who

is currently at large after

committing the ungodly act.

According to GhanaWeb

sources, the victim was shot on

his motorbike while browsing

through his laptop in front of his

shop in the evening of Saturday

after complaining of excessive

heat in his shop where he does

his transactions.

GhanaWeb sources further

“Groundwater can be

extracted to the surface by

pumps and wells, and without

groundwater, life would be

impossible. Groundwater

provides a significant portion

of the water used for drinking,

sanitation, food production, and

industrial processes,” according

to Dr Alhassan, “groundwater

is also critical to the proper

functioning of ecosystems like

wetlands and rivers.”

Exploring, protecting, and

using groundwater sustainably

would be critical to surviving

and adapting to climate change

and meeting the needs of a

growing population, according

to the Lecturer.

Dr Alhassan noted

that Ghana’s groundwater

regulations should be strictly

enforced, saying, “through these

efforts, we would be charting

the path toward groundwater

resource sustainability.”

He recommended that

Integrated Water Resources

Management (IWRM) – an

integrated approach that

promoted coordination among

all stakeholders in the water

sector – be fully implemented

for sustainable, equitable, and

efficient water resource use.

Current condition of the Momo vendor who was shot

indicated that the assailant who

prior to the incident was seen

walking around the scene, shot

the victim all of a sudden, and

fled the scene without taking

anything from him.

The suspect was pursued by

a young man whose identity is

presently not known into the

bushes of the town towards Bole.

The victim was rushed to

the Sawla hospital where he

is currently receiving medical

attention.

What triggered the action of

the suspect currently remains

unclear.

The Sawla District police

commander, DSP Paul Lambert

who confirmed the incident

said the victim is in a stable

condition but declined to give

further information on the

matter.

Page 8

A

newly released model

of estimates for pregnancies

and abortions

in the world

shows that some

266,000 abortions were done in

Ghana within four years.

The Guttmacher Institute,

the World Health Organisation

and the UN’s Human Reproduction

Programme (HRP) released

the first-ever model-based

estimates of unintended pregnancy

and abortion rates for 150

countries, highlighting major

disparities in access to sexual

and reproductive health care.

The study analyses rates

from 2015 to 2019, with the aim

of providing deeper insights into

access to sexual and reproductive

health services in countries

of all income levels across the

globe.

In Ghana, the unintended

pregnancy rate declined 14 per

cent between 1990-1994 and

2015-2019, it said during the

same period, the abortion rate

Health

increased 35 per cent with the

share of unintended pregnancy

ending in abortion rising from

23 per cent to 36 per cent.

It said pregnancy outcomes

in Ghana in 2015-2019 recorded

a total of 1.33 million annually

with 741,000 being unintended

and 266,000 ending in abortion,

which is legal only to preserve

the pregnant person’s health.

Dr. Herminia Palacio, President

and CEO of the Guttmacher

Institute, said, "To build sexual

and reproductive health policies

that are truly inclusive and

equitable, we need to understand

what is happening at a country

level."

"Having current and reliable

data at hand will not only help

identify and find solutions to

disparities, but also make a case

for smarter investments that

deliver impact."

Alongside the estimates,

Guttmacher, a leading research

and policy entity committed

to advancing global sexual


Ghana records 266,000

abortions in 4 years

Health workers refusing

postings to some E/R districts

Dr Winfred Ofosu,

Eastern Regional

Director of

Health says the

unwillingness

of staff to accept postings to

some districts in the Region is

affecting accessible and timely

healthcare delivery.

He noted that the worst

affected areas where health staff

refused postings to were the

Kwahu Afram Plains North and

South districts, adding that, “the

situation is dire and currently,

there is no medical officer at

the Presbyterian hospital at

Donkorkrom”.

The Donkorkrom

Presbyterian Hospital is a 177-

bed capacity facility, which

serves as the District Hospital

for both Kwahu Afram Plains

North and South and serves also

as the main referral centre in

the entire Afram Plains area.

Dr Ofosu, who made the

disclosure at the Regional 2021

annual health performance

review meeting in Koforidua,

indicated that many staff

preferred to work at district’s

bordering greater Accra region

such as the Nsawam-Adoagyri

district.

Other districts also of high

preference are the Akuapem

North and South, New Juaben

North and South, Suhum

and lately the Abuakwa

South districts, resulting in

maldistribution and inequitable

distribution of staff.

“We are struggling to have

a reasonable number of doctors

and other critical staff even in

closer places such as Begoro

Hospital in Fanteakwa North

and Asesewa Hospital in Upper-

Manya krobo District,” he said.

Another challenging area

in healthcare delivery is some

intra-district quality roads

resulting in difficulties in

transferring referred patients for

critical and emergency care.

The Regional Director

called on the Municipal and

District Assemblies particularly,

the underserved districts

to prioritise provision of

basic infrastructure such as

accommodation and social

amenities to attract manpower

to those areas.

The meeting was on the

theme “Building Resilient

Health Systems for Maternal

and Newborn Care: The Role of

Stakeholders” and was attended

and reproductive health, has

published more detailed country

profiles to allow decision makers

and health advocates to better

understand and act on sexual

and reproductive health needs

in their countries, particularly

for family planning, including

contraception and comprehensive

abortion care.

The new estimates indicate

that unintended pregnancy

and abortion rates vary widely

between countries—even within

the same region or geographic

area.

The greatest variations were

found in Latin America and

sub-Saharan Africa, where for

instance, unintended pregnancy

rates in countries ranged from 41

to 107 per 1000 women, and 49 to

145 per 1000 women respectively.

These disparities are not

shaped purely by income-level

in Europe, for example, most

countries with higher unintended

pregnancy rates than the

regional average are classified

as high-income, while the two

countries with the lowest estimates

are middle-income.

This finding reflects how

barriers to accessing and using

effective sexual and reproductive

healthcare exist in settings

with greater as well as fewer

resources.

"These variations speak to

the need for investment, even

in regions with low unintended

pregnancy rates, that emby

District Directors and District

Health Management Teams

(DHMTs) as well as key health

staff across the region to take

stock of the past year and make

projections.

The Regional Director

announced that in spite of the

challenges, the Region made

strides in some key priority

areas including maternal health,

family planning acceptor rate,

newborn care, vaccinations, and

Prevention of Mother-to-Child

Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV.

In the area of maternal

health, institutional mortality

ratio declined from 146.1 in

2020 to 112.1 deaths in 2021

per 100,000 live births, family

planning acceptor rate increased

from 24% to 29.4% whiles

institutional neonatal mortality

declined from 8.2 deaths to 6.7

deaths. per 100,000 live births in

the period under review.

PMTCT of HIV testing

also increased from 67% in

2020 to 94% in 2021 and on

disease prevention and control

vaccination (Penta 3) coverage

went up from 96% in 2020

to109.7% in 2021.

powers women and girls across

countries to choose under what

circumstances they want to have

children," says Jonathan Bearak,

a senior research scientist at

Guttmacher Institute and lead

author of the article.

"The proportion of unintended

pregnancies ending in

abortion—as great as 68 percent,

even among countries that

completely prohibited abortion—

illustrates the strength of the

desire of millions of women and

adolescents to avoid unplanned

childbearing."

While the estimates go a long

way in increasing the quality of

evidence available, there remains

a pressing need for more

and better data. The availability

of reliable abortion data varied

substantially by region, ranging

from 12 percent of countries in

Western Asia and Northern Africa

to 73 percent of countries in

Europe and Northern America.

With additional investments

in country data collection, it

would be possible to make

estimates with greater certainty,

monitor trends and possibly

assess the impact of large-scale

Janok Foundation, a

community-based

organisation in the

Ablekuma Central of the

Greater Accra Region has

sensitised opinion leaders and

market women on the signs and

symptoms of Tuberculosis (TB) to

mark the world TB Day.

Madam Jane Amerley Oku,

the Chief Executive Officer of

the organisation in an interview

with the Ghana News Agency

encouraged women to undergo

regular health examination for

early detection and treatment of

TB as well as its related diseases.

He said according to health

authorities, treatment of TB was

free and available and urged

them not to shy away from

checking their health status,

programmes in the future.

Sexual and reproductive

health and rights are an essential

part of universal health

coverage and are required to end

discrimination against women

and girls. These country-level

estimates highlight the importance

of equitable investment

in comprehensive sexual and

reproductive health care, and

will further inform countries

working to implement WHO’s

new guidelines for quality abortion

services.

"For good health, people

in countries around the world

need access to a comprehensive

package of sexuality education,

accurate family planning information

and services, as well as

quality abortion care," said Dr.

Bela Ganatra, who leads WHO’s

Prevention of Unsafe Abortion

unit.

"This research aims to

support countries as they work

to strengthen the lifesaving services

they provide for sexual and

reproductive health and improve

health outcomes – especially for

women and girls."

Source: GNA

Market Women trained

on signs and symptoms of

Tuberculosis

which would help in prolonging

their survival.

Madam Oku said TB was a

disease caused by germs that

spread from one person to

another through the air, which

usually affected the lungs and

could also affect other parts of

the body.

“It is in view of this that the

Foundation has embarked on

this public education activities

to make you aware of this health

menace as we celebrate the TB

Day,” she said.

The Chief Executive

entreated persons who were

coughing for more than two

weeks to report to the nearest

health facility for diagnosis and

treatment.

Madam Needjan (middle) with her executives

DAILY ANALYST


Opinion

Nuclear power in

Africa energy mix

Energy is the backbone

for developed

and developing

nations. And what

are the sources of

energy? There are hydro, thermal,

fossil fuels, and local gas

but these are declining. They

are not unlimited fossil fuels

could run out. And the prices

are unstable.

Recent nuclear technologies

could help power the

future of Africa and promote

sustainable energy. In the

distant past, nuclear energy

was an expensive option

limited to the western world.

Progressively, nuclear could

be an energy source for much

of Africa, but currently, only

South Africa has a nuclear

power plant.

Socioeconomic growth

comes with a rise in energy

demand and a need for a reliable

and sustainable energy

supply.

African countries are vulnerable

to climate risk so is

the rest of the world. Therefore,

they must play an active

role in the global transition

to low carbon energy in the

way others will have to.

Much of Africa has considerable

natural advantages

concerning renewable electricity

generation technologies

such as solar. Nevertheless,

the disadvantage for any

modern economy primarily

heavily depending on intermittent

sources of electricity

are increasingly apparent.

An important component of

reliable baseload low carbon

electricity capacity is essential

to enable emerging

market countries to reach

net-zero without hindering

economic development.

For many, and possibly

for most African countries,

this should mean including

an element of nuclear

power in their energy mix.

Unfortunately, only South

Africa currently has commercial-scale

nuclear reactors

producing electricity for a

continent very rich in uranium

reserves. The two reactors

operating there were built in

the last century – an evident

reminder that industrialized

Europe is not the only place

where nuclear development

has declined.

The high upfront capital

cost of nuclear plants and

safety are obvious explanations

for this underdevelopment.

It may have been a

deterrent for governments

that needed to secure a quicker

return on their spending

than could be achieved by

investment in nuclear energy.

For Ghana, cost-effective,

reliable electricity is the

entry point to higher-value-added

manufacturing and

export-led growth. For example,

the country’s reserves

of bauxite—the ore used to

produce aluminum—are an

important source of income,

but for now, it is exported

raw. if we have cost-effective

electricity, we would not be

exporting raw bauxite but

exporting smelted bauxite

at a much higher price.

This would be a big move for

Ghana.

Kenya is considering

nuclear to meet the demand

generated by hooking up

households nationwide,

which is expected to contribute

significantly to the

30% increase in electricity

demand predicted for the

country by 2030.

Kenya depends mostly on

renewables fuel for energy

about 60% of installed capacity

is from hydropower and

geothermal power.

Without proper financing,

nuclear is a nonstarter. The

majority of African countries

will find it difficult to invest

in a nuclear power project.

Another aspect to consider

is the burden on the electrical

grid system of the country.

Nuclear power plants are

connected to a grid through

which they deliver electricity.

For a country to safely introduce

nuclear energy, the IAEA

recommends that its grid

capacity be around ten times

the capacity of its planned

nuclear power plant. For

example, a country should

have a capacity of 10,000

megawatts already in place

to generate 1,000 megawatts

from nuclear power.

Few African countries

currently have a grid of this

capacity. For example in Kenya

installed capacity is 2,400

megawatts—too small for

conventional, large nuclear

power plants.

Many different factors

play against the development

of the nuclear power

segment in Africa. However,

all of these challenges can be

traced back to a fear that the

challenges and risks associated

with the African continent

are unbearable. A sentiment

that has been overcome in

other sectors and will likely

be overcome here. These concerns

include:

Timelines: In addition to

the large capital investments

that nuclear plants require,

these are usually accompanied

by five- to ten-year-long

periods of construction and

testing. In potentially unstable

regions, projects with

long time horizons are often

unattractive for investors.

Although over the lifetime

of a plant, costs are on par

when weighted against fossil

fuel plants (especially with

local nuclear fuel resources)

(World Nuclear Association

2020), the significant period

between investment and revenue

returns is often enough

to sour investors. On top of

this is a legacy of over-budget

projects—another uncertainty

negatively affecting the

prospects of investment in

traditional nuclear plants.

Regulatory Frameworks:

Further, fears surround

the potential inability for

Sub-Sharan African countries

to provide clear regulatory

and financial frameworks

with adequate risk provisions

in case of extended construction

periods and uncertain

electricity demand growth.

This leaves investors without

a degree of project life-cycle

clarity, nor a sense of urgency

from governments to accelerate

nuclear projects. Historically,

these countries tend

to lag in schedules of project

development.

Infrastructure: Additionally,

lack of transmission infrastructure

and trained personnel

leads to a decreased

perception of prosperity for

new generation projects. The

success of generation projects

is dependent on additional

infrastructure including

electricity transmission. If

a legacy grid is not built to

transmit a sufficient multiple

(generally 10x) of the production

capacity of the nuclear

plant, further investment will

have to be made into grid upgrades

and renewal (International

Energy Agency 2014).

Maintenance: There is

also the necessity for local

maintenance expertise. For

contracts where construction

and operation are managed

by one corporate partner,

a degree of cultural understanding

must also be taken

into consideration. Thus, the

importance of training locals

cannot be understated. New

energy sources are only likely

to be accepted if they cost

less than current methods.

While long-term returns

might outweigh those of

other fossil-fuel generation

methods, short-term barriers

such as these often cloud

future benefits and lead to

project resistance.

Safety: Finally, safety

concerns are ever-present

when considering the idea

of nuclear technologies. This

is exacerbated by potentially

unstable political situations,

as well as by a lack of local expertise.

Internationally, concerns

of events such as Three

Mile Island, Chernobyl, and

Fukushima have been cited

as reasons that Germany is

rolling off of nuclear power.

However, despite these

challenges, there are many

good examples that can serve

as fundraising models to the

nuclear industry. Hydropower

plants in Africa are broadly

comparable to nuclear power

projects, as they present

similar elements of difficulty.

These projects have both

been financed by taxpayers

and by international organizations.

However, large hydro

projects present similar

issues of scale and long payback

prospects.

To address these challenges

and concerns associated

with old-style large-scale

nuclear power reactors, small

modular reactors (SMRs)

present an option for wider

use and application for

nuclear power generation.

The IAEA defines SMRs as,

“advanced nuclear reactors

that have a power capacity

of up to 300 MW€ per unit,

which is about one-third of

the generating capacity of

traditional nuclear power

reactors.” SMRs are designed

using modular factory fabrication

technology. The case

for SMRs is strengthened

by the interest in building

smaller units for generating

electricity, which addresses

the challenges of traditional

larger nuclear power reactors.

The advantages of SMRs

can be connected to the nature

of their design—small,

modular, and capable of

harnessing nuclear fission to

produce energy. SMRs have

displayed flexible power

generation options, enhanced

inherent safety features, require

lesser capital cost, and

have a smaller physical footprint

than larger traditional

nuclear power reactors. They

also have a wide range of

applications in the electricity

sector as well as cogeneration

and non-electrical applications.

Given their size, SMRs

can be located in areas that

may not be suitable for traditional,

large nuclear power

plants.

Additionally, the modular

aspect of SMRs means that

an SMR unit may be manufactured

and assembled in

factories and then installed

at a site as opposed to large

power reactors, which are

conventionally designed for

a specific location. These

reactors generate less radioactive

waste and can re-use

uranium making reactors essentially

self-sufficient once

started.

Conclusion

Given the opportunities

SMRs present, there is a need

to push for SMR technologies

as a feasible nuclear energy

option to meet the growing

energy needs in Africa and

the search for low-carbon

energy options. In comparison

to large-scale nuclear

power reactors, SMR technology

provides a simpler and

fundamentally safer opportunity

for the expansion of the

nuclear energy sector. SMRs

have lesser fuel requirements,

smaller physical area requirements

and hold the potential

for large-scale factory production,

transportation, and

installation in Africa and the

world at large.

Page 10

Business


'Black market' controls Dollar economy

in Ghana - Dr. Smart Sarpong

A

Senior Research

Fellow at Kumasi

Technical University,

Dr. Smart Sarpong,

has called on

government to tackle the black

market control over the dollar

currency in the country.

Contributing to Peace FM's

"Kokrokoo" Friday morning,

Dr. Smart Sarpong applauded

government for its $2 billion

financial arrangement to

cushion the financial sector,

particularly strengthen the forex

bureaus, so as to beef up the cedi

as against foreign currencies

like the US Dollar.

The Gas Tanker Drivers

Association says its

members who laid

down their tools

two weeks ago have

returned to work following an

assurance from the National

Petroleum Authority to address

their concerns.

The Association on March 4

declared its intention to suspend

the transporting of Gas to LPG

outlets across the country.

The industrial action was

to push the government to lift

the ban on the establishment

of new LPG stations following

the Atomic Junction explosion

in 2017 that claimed lives and

destroyed properties.

According to government,

the ban was to sanitize the

space and also ensure that the

required protocols are followed

through.

Speaking to Citi News,

the Chairman for the Ghana

National Petroleum Tanker

Drivers Association, George

Nyaunu says the National

Petroleum Authority (NPA) has

assured its members of working

to lift the ban on the opening of

new LPG outlets.

“We met the executives of

NPA, and we put our challenges

before them, so they quickly

addressed our concerns. Right

The Cedi has sharply

depreciated against the US

Dollar and this has gravely

affected prices in the country.

Finance Minister, Ken

Ofori-Atta, in a press briefing

to outline the measures taken

by government to address the

economic challenges, stated

that one of the measures the

government is looking at is to

pump 2 billion dollars into the

system.

''GoG to conclude external

financing arrangement of up

to US$2 billion in the next 2-6

weeks in line with approved

external financing for 2022 and

for liability management; MoF

will work with the Central Bank

to review the foreign exchange

retention policy to ensure

multinational companies in the

extractive sectors retain foreign

exchange earnings, from the sale

of our resources, in the country,"

the Minister said.

However, Dr. Smart Sarpong

shared a problem he has with

this arrangement.

He disclosed that he recently

went to the bank to trade in

Dollar but was asked to present

a Visa before he could have the

dollar.

To him, he doesn't

understand why he should

produce a Visa before he gets

Dollar when he isn't traveling

out of Ghana.

This, he said, compelled

him to go to the black market

to buy Dollar and it was during

his transaction with the black

market players that he realized

they have enormous control over

the rate of the dollar.

" . . when you want dollar

from the bank, you won't get

. . . In fact, it's not been so

long since I traded in Dollar. I

suffered with my bankers."

He expounded that, because

the black market determines the

dollar rate, it invariably affects

commodity prices because the

higher they go, the higher the

Gas tanker drivers

association suspends strike

now, they have given orders that

the filling stations with their

genuine documents should

submit them to NPA. They have

started working on it and work

is ongoing to transport the

products from the depot to the

various destinations. The issues

have been addressed, so why do

we still embark on the strike. So,

as I speak, work has resumed.”

The government, after the

Atomic Gas explosion in 2017,

placed a ban on new LPG retail

points to allow for proper

assessment of all LPG outlets

nationwide.

LPG marketers subsequently

petitioned the government

and the National Petroleum

Authority over the issue.

The President, Nana Addo

Dankwa Akufo-Addo, shortly

after the Atomic Junction Gas

explosion in 2017, directed the

implementation of the Cylinder

Recirculation Module.

This meant that gas

cylinders will no longer be filled

up at gas retail outlets, but

cylinders would be bought from

distributors already filled when

they go empty.

Apart from concerns over

the loss of jobs, the Ghana

LPG Operators Association

has constantly complained

that proper stakeholder

consultations were not carried

out as they were not engaged on

the policy.

prices.

''I don't understand how

black market can get you

whatever amount of dollars

you need. So, they fluctuate it

anyhow'' but the ''financial

system itself cannot get you the

The Director of Digital

and Commercial

Operations at Vodafone

Ghana, Angela

Mensah-Poku, has

urged young people who wish to

excel in tech to blend hard and

soft skills.

Angela gave this advice at a

thought-provoking discussion

hosted by MEST Africa as part

of activities to mark the 2022

Women’s History Month. The

theme was “Making Career

Moves in Tech”.

“One thing that I have

realised, especially in Tech, is

that there isn’t enough focus on

soft skills. So, being customercentric,

innovative, passionate,

collaborative, dynamic, and

able to pivot quickly is key. If

you have a beautiful marriage

between the hard skills,

emotional intelligence, and

human aspects of technology

in what you do, you will always

differentiate yourself,“ she said.

She added, “Striking that

wonderful balance between hard

skills and soft skills is critical.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur

or you want to move into a

big organization, bring your

humanity to whatever you do

and work on your emotional

intelligence, collaboration,

inquisitiveness, and other

critical soft skills.”

According to Angela,

dollar you need'', he said, hence

calling on the government to

remedy the situation by creating

the avenue for people to easily

purchase the dollar from the

bank.

Angela Mensah-Poku, Director of Digital and

Commercial Operations at Vodafone Ghana

Blending hard and soft

skills will help advance

your career in tech

–Angela Mensah-Poku

Vodafone Ghana is interested

in soft skills as well, since

it enables the technology

communications company to

innovate constantly and improve

customer experience. She gave

an example of how Vodafone’s

Robotics Squad can collaborate

effectively with other teams to

develop tools and products that

address customers’ needs.

She further urged

participants to be curious,

confident, and take advantage of

every opportunity.

“Be confident and put

yourself out there. What is the

worst that can ever happen?

No one ever got fired for asking

a question, having an idea,

or putting their hands up for

something. I take advantage of

every single opportunity, and

this has been a running theme

for my career,” she said.

Angela encouraged young

girls thinking of pursuing

a career in tech to embrace

challenges and give their best.

“There is no substitute for

hard work, whether you are male

or female. I think that the work

environment is also changing,

and women are getting more

support. Be creative and

inquisitive, and I guarantee you

will attract females and males

who share your values and will

be there for you when times get

tough.”

DAILY ANALYST


The Confederation of

African Football (CAF)

has given approval to

Nigeria to have 60,000

spectators for the 2022

World Cup playoff second leg tie

against Ghana.

The Super Eagles will tackle

the Black Stars for supremacy

at the Moshood Abiola National

Stadium, Abuja on Tuesday,

March 29, 2022.

The Nigeria Football

Federation (NFF) made the

request to have 60,000 people

at the stadium for the crucial

encounter and was promptly

granted by CAF.

CAF initially approved 30,000

fans for the highly anticipated

encounter but with the stakes

being much higher, the NFF

requested 30,000 more.

CAF allowed 40,000 fans for

the first leg at the Baba Yara

Stadium, Kumasi on Friday when

Sports

CAF grants Nigeria

60,000 attendance for

second leg against Ghana

the Black Stars drew with the

Super Eagles.

Nigeria held Ghana to a

scoreless stalemate at the

charged Kumasi atmosphere.

The last time the Black

Stars visited Nigeria in a World

Cup qualification fixture, they

suffered a 3-0 loss.

The winner over the two legs

will book their place at the World

Cup in Qatar later this year.

The pressure will

be on Nigeria at

home -Otto Addo

The Black Stars head

coach, Otto Addo,

claims Nigeria would

be under a lot of pressure

when they play

Ghana in the second leg of the

World Cup qualifier.

On Friday, Ghana and Nigeria

battled at the Baba Yara Stadium

in the opening leg, which

finished 0-0.

Otto Addo, speaking at the

post-match news conference,

stated that the outcomes of the

first leg will put pressure on Nigeria

to perform in front of their

fans in Abuja.

“The Nigerians saw we can

play as well. Even though the

Afcon wasn’t good I think we

matched them up. They have

high-quality players but in all it

was equal. The pressure will be

on them at home and no away

goals can hurt a lot,” he told the

media.

Nigeria's Super Eagles, who

were expected to thrash Ghana,

were held to a 0-0 draw in a

World Cup qualifier.

The first game was staged at

the Baba Yara Stadium, and Ghana

was looking to win to get an

advantage in the second leg.

Ghana will go to Nigeria for

the second leg on March 27, 2022,

with everything on the line.

In a related development,

Coach of the Black Stars, Otto

Addo, has responded to negative

public reaction about the performance

of Jordan Ayew during

the Black Stars World Cup qualifier

play-off against Nigeria.

The Crystal Palace striker

was booed by a section of the

packed stadium when he was

being substituted in the second

half of the game.

But responding to the incident

during the post-match

press conference, Otto Addo,

defended his lead striker’s performance

on the night.

Asked whether he felt the

boos were for him or Jordan and

what he made of it, he responded:

“The booing I think is for me,

no problem. I think it’s normal,

Jordan played well, had a very

good performance, especially in

the first half.

“A lot of one against ones…

at the end, I don’t know if they

don’t see it but he was tired and

what they might not know…we

watch a lot of matches, me and

my squad…. and I think we know

what each of them is capable of,”

he stressed.

The match at the Baba Yara

Sports Stadium ended in a

goalless draw with the return

fixture slated for the Moshood

Abiola Stadium in Abuja coming

Tuesday. The winner over the

two legs will pick one of five

African slots for the 2022 World

Cup in Qatar.

Nigeria more than half way

through to the World Cup

–Coach Augustine Eguavoen

Nigeria coach Austin

Eguavoen believes

the team is more

than halfway

through to qualifying

for the 2022 World Cup to be

staged in Qatar.

The Super Eagles held Ghana

to a goalless draw at the Baba

Yara Stadium in the first leg of

the qualifier.

Ghana dominated possession,

recorded the most shots, and

kept the Super Eagles’ star-studded

attack at bay in front of a

large crowd in Kumasi.

Speaking ahead of the second

leg in Abuja, Eguavoen expressed

the Super Eagles are more than

halfway to qualifying for the

World Cup after sharing the

spoils in Kumasi.

“The team is in high spirit

we are more than halfway

through I had a word with them

and praise them because they

were resilient,” Eguavoen said

on NFF TV.

“They worked hard in such

an atmosphere so I think it was

a fair result.

“Some players didn’t get

involved now because one or two

had a knock yesterday and recover

training, people that played

90 and 94 minutes usually we do

just a little bit and then rest.

“People who didn’t play up to

70 minutes will do more, that’s

exactly what we just did like few

of them that had knocks like

Chukwueze we just want to rest

him and he can probably resume

tomorrow.”

Nigeria arrived back in Abuja

in the early hours of Saturday

morning after Friday's game and

have started preparing for the

second leg in Abuja.

With the 0-0 draw in the first

leg, a win would be enough to secure

Nigeria's place at the World

Cup finals.

Meanwhile, Ghana need a

scoring draw or a win to eliminate

their West African rivals and

reach Qatar.

Black Stars are expected to

travel to Abuja on Monday ahead

of Tuesday's crunch match.

The game will take place at

the 60,000 capacity Moshood

Abiola National Stadium.

Monday, 28th March, 2022

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?